National-security summit to close Paradise Point to public Oct. 29-Nov. 2

by
Staff and contributionSan Diego Community News Group

Published - 10/25/12 - 10:46 AM | 0 | 4 | |

The HALO Counter-Terrorism Summit, a national-security training event, will temporarily shut down the Paradise Point Resort at Mission Bay, beginning Oct. 29.

The summit will bring together national security experts to educate and train those who work to keep America safe, both at home and abroad. Participating members include members of the military, law enforcement, emergency-response agencies and the intelligence community, according to organizers.

The summit is a private event that will run through Nov. 2.

As a result, Paradise Point will be closed to the general public through mid-afternoon on Nov. 2. The two public parking lots east and west of the property will also be closed to the public during the event.

Summit delegates will observe live-action demonstrations conducted jointly with Strategic Operations, a military training company that has provided pre-deployment training to more than 600,000 military personnel in the last decade. Strategic Operations is affiliated with Stu Segall Productions, one of the largest independent TV/movie studios in the country.

These demonstrations will include ground-level pyrotechnic effects and simulated munitions fire to replicate real-world scenarios where responders and operators can observe training techniques safely in a controlled environment. All events are acoustically designed to be fully contained within Paradise Point, organizers said. Should any sound leave the property, it will be within the noise levels allowed under the city’s municipal code.

Organizers also stressed the training poses no danger or hazard to the public. Demonstrations are scheduled for

Oct. 30, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at about 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. and will last less than an hour in duration.

The Oct. 30 scenario features a downed-pilot rescue, and will include a team of former Navy SEALs parachuting onto Paradise Point (weather permitting). Persons in the vicinity of Paradise Point and surrounding areas may witness the skydiving activity at around 4:30 p.m.

“San Diego has a proud history of leadership in providing some of the finest military and law enforcement training in the world,” said Brad Barker, president of the HALO Corporation, which is organizing the summit. “With the summit, we hope to play our part in providing vital resources that mitigate the risk and impact of terrorist and criminal threats, natural disasters and manmade events. Servicemembers, law enforcement officers and emergency responders at all levels will have the opportunity to collaborate with their counterparts and receive valuable training that will keep our communities and citizens safer, whether locally, nationally or abroad.”

The HALO Counter-Terrorism Summit draws the best and brightest minds from national security, including keynote speakers like former CIA and NSA director Gen. Michael Hayden; Mexico’s Secretary of the Interior Alejandro Poiré Romero; and Deputy Chief Michael Downing, the commanding officer of the LAPD’s Counterterrorism and Special Operations Bureau.

The keynote speaker for the summit will be Cindy Hensley McCain, a humanitarian, businesswoman and wife of U.S. Sen. John McCain. McCain will call for greater awareness of one of the largest criminal industries in the world — human trafficking — and share her personal insight and experiences with the issue and speak about measures designed to help eradicate human trafficking worldwide.